About Me

I was born in Nevada in 1964 and I was raised in Boulder City, a small town on the outskirts of Las Vegas. I was always interested in current events, weather, and earthquakes. In my senior year of high school I met Mr. Stewart, who taught U.S. government. His instruction, guidance, and friendship shaped the way I think today, and I am grateful that he opened my eyes when he did.

During my senior year I volunteered to work on two campaigns. One was the campaign for Richard Bryan who was running for U.S. Senate, and the other was for the local sheriff, John Moran, who I knew personally. I enjoyed working on their campaigns immensely and I have had a passion for politics ever since.

If you are familiar with Nevada politics you will notice that both of these candidates were Democrats, although I have to admit, with the exception of about five other times they are the only Democrats I have ever voted for.

While Mr. Stewart, who I still correspond with, is a staunch Republican, and my parents were Democrats at the time, I turned out to be more of a right-leaning independent. Some people might even call me a Libertarian, but I don’t see any reason to align myself with any particular political party. I have a hard time conforming and I have never been one to toe any party line.

After high school, I spent a year attending college in Hawaii. Apparently I was at the University of Hawaii at Hilo at the same time Sarah Palin was (or wasn’t) there, although I stayed much longer than she did. After that year I returned home to Las Vegas where I attended UNLV for a couple years as well.

I spent six years at the Clark County Detention Center. No, not as an inmate, but working there as a courier. It was a slider job for a guy who wasn’t really sure which road to take from there. While I was there, I met Jan Barcza who would also shape my way of thinking for years to come. Jan was one of the most honest souls I ever met, and I value every moment I spent with her.

I have always believed that you always end up right where God wants you, so you meet the right people or you learn the right lesson. That belief held true when I met my future wife, Gidget, online in 1996. Just months after meeting her online, I was helping her move all the way across the country to be with me. Then, just a few months later we were moving all the way back here to Georgia. We have been here ever since.

I spent more than 15 years blogging on Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff which was a hodgepodge of topics ranging from politics and current events to product recalls and obituaries.

After 15 years I felt it was time to separate my more in-depth thoughts and ideas. So why the name “101 Dead Armadillos”? That’s simple. Years ago, I decided when it came time for me to write my own story, the title would be ‘101 Dead Armadillos”.

On our first trip across this country of ours, we were making our way through Arkansas where we counted 101 dead armadillos. Ironically, on our return trip, we counted 101 then too. It only seemed fitting to use that as a title for a blog, since I probably will never get around to writing my own story anyway.

So what does the future hold? Who knows…

As we travel down the road of life we need to keep moving forward, learning from our mistakes, and it doesn’t hurt to count the dead armadillos along the way.

One thought on “About Me”

I am a scientist who studies bird coloration and I was wondering if you might be willing to grant me permission to use your photo of a house finch in a scientific paper (the one at http://www.michaeltbarrett.com/2013/04/22/house-finch-3/ ). Please email me if you are interested – I can not pay you as it is a non-profit publication, but we will credit you fully for the image in the paper.